Automotive vehicles have various types of electronics instruments mounted therein. Therefore, wiring harnesses are arranged for supplying electrical powers from a battery to electronics instruments and for transmitting control signals from a computer. The wiring harness has a plurality of electrical cables 100 shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B and connectors attached to ends of cables.
As shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, the cable 100 has a conductor core 101 and a sheathing layer 102. The sheathing layer 102 is made of an insulating synthetic material to cover the core 101. That is, the cable 100 is a so-called covered cable. The cable 100 is defined with a step that extrudes an insulating synthetic resin-material on an outer surface of the core 101. The synthetic resin is mixed with a colorant during the extrude process to color the sheathing layer to have a desired color.
The connector has a conductor terminal and a connector housing. The terminal is fitted to an end of the cable 100 to connect with the core 101 of the cable 100. The connector housing is a box to define a terminal accommodation chamber receiving the terminal.
In an assembling process of the wiring harness, the cable 100 is cut to obtain a desirable length, and then a terminal is fitted to an end of the cable 100. When desired, a plurality of the cables 100 are connected to each other. Thereafter, the terminal is inserted into the connector housing to assemble the wiring harness.
It is necessary that the cable 100 is recognized in the diameter of the core 101, the material of the sheathing layer 102, and applications of the cable. The material of the sheathing layer 102 is selected, for example, in view of a heat resistant performance. The applications of the cable 100 include systems for the vehicle such as an air bag, an ABS (antilock brake system), a power transmission mechanism, and a transmission device for signals including vehicle speeds.
To recognize applications of the cable, the cable 100 has a sheathing layer 102 with an outer surface 102a that is provided with a stripe pattern. The stripe pattern shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B has two diagonal parallel bands each having a color A or B, and the two colors A and B are different from each other. In production of the cable 100 shown in FIG. 9, a colorant having the color A is mixed in a synthetic resin material during extrusion forming of the sheathing layer 102. After the extrusion forming, the outer surface 102a is partially colored with a colorant having the color B.
The cable 100 shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B has a first part having the first color A and a and a second part having the second color B. The first and second parts each extend in a longitudinal direction of the cable parallel with each other. The first part has a width broader than that of the second part.
Meanwhile, there are various requests from users for automotive vehicles. To answer the requests, many various types of electronic instruments are desired to be mounted on the vehicles. Thus, for example, a hundred of types of electrical cables 100 will be prepared to obtain the wiring harnesses. The cables 100 have various colors.
The cable 100 shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B can have various colors by the combination of the color A of the colorant mixed in the synthetic resin material constituting the sheathing layer 102 and the color B for partially coloring the sheathing layer 102. However, when the cables 100 have a small diameter, the cables tend to be difficult in discrimination of them from one another.
Hence, the applicant of the present invention has proposed that a first mark having a first color and a second mark having a second color are provided on an outer surface of a cable in its longitudinal direction. The first and second marks are alternately provided in the longitudinal direction so that a plurality of the cables are easily distinguished from one another.
The wiring harness is fitted with several types of covering fittings such as harness covering tubes, harness protectors, and harness grommets. The covering fittings generally cover the cables. Thus, one of the alternately positioned first and second marks may be covered by the covering fittings not to be recognized.
In this case, the discrimination of the cables is difficult so that terminals fitted to the cables can not be correctly inserted into corresponding terminal chambers.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an electrical cable that can be surely discriminated from one another, even when only a part of an outer surface of the cable is exposed.